Gregory Rasputin figures in Russian history as a malign and destructive force, a man with an unhealthy influence on the Empress Alexandra and undue power in Russian politics. Yet, his purposes were obstensibly beneficient. An uneducated peasant, he left Siberia to become a wandering "holy man" and soon acquired a reputation as a healer. The empress was desperate to find a cure for the haemophilia from which her son Alexei suffered, and in 1905 Rasputin was presented at court. His positive effect on the heir's health made him indispensable. But his religious teachings were unorthodox, and his charismatic presence aroused in many ladies of the St Petersburg aristocracy an exalted response, which he exploited sexually. Shady financial dealings added to the atmosphere of debauchery and scandal, and he was also seen as a political threat. He was assassinated in 1916.
- ISBN10 132236074X
- ISBN13 9781322360744
- Publish Date 1 January 2011 (first published 25 September 1997)
- Publish Status Active
- Out of Print 22 July 2015
- Publish Country US
- Imprint History Press (SC)
- Format eBook
- Language English